This poses a potential challenge, as combusting higher quantities of H₂ yields higher quantities of water in the flue gas. As demonstrated in Figures 7a and 7b , with 100% H₂ fuel, the water content in the flue gas increases to approxi - mately one-third of the flue gas volumetrically. The water content may be reduced by burning less H₂ in the fuel. If this is not an option, the end user may con - sider a system to reduce the water content in the flue gas. This could be accomplished by diluting or reheating the gas before it exits the heater. Alternatively, methods to con - dense and collect the water may be considered. Note, increasing the water content in the flue gas will also have the tendency to raise flue gas acid dewpoint if not burning 100% pure H₂. Making fired heaters H₂ ready It is clear there are many unique challenges associated with designing and converting fired heaters to H₂ fuel firing. However, the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions in a given fired heater is unlimited if 100% H₂ fuel is utilised. Making the switch to H₂ fuel is an exciting yet challeng - ing endeavour. Teaming up with experienced fired heater experts who have been designing fired heaters with high H2 fuel content for decades is a vital step in the development of safe, effective solutions to the many challenges involved. References 1 Silberberg, Principles of General Chemistry, 1st Ed., McGraw Hill, New York, 2007.
2 Baukal Jr., The John Zink Combustion Handbook , CRC Press, Boca Raton Florida, 2001. 3 Glassman, Yetter, Combustion, Academic Press, Cambridge Massachusetts, 2008. 4 North American Combustion Handbook – A Basic Reference on the Air and Science of Industrial Process Heating with Gaseous and Liquid Fuels , Vol I (3rd Ed.), Fives North American Combustion Inc., 2001. 5 Guarco, Langstine, Turner, Practical Considerations for Firing Hydrogen Versus Natural Gas , Zeeco. 6 Sherman, Radiation from Luminous and Non-Luminous Natural-Gas Flames , Transactions of the America Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1934. 7 Mekler, Fairall, Evaluation of Radiant Heat Absorption Rates in Tubular Heaters, Petroleum Refiner , 1952. 8 API 571 – Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment in the Refining Industry, 2nd Ed., April 2011. 9 Rivkin, Burgess, Buttner, H ydrogen Technologies Safety Guide , National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2015. 10 Herssens, Safariyeganeh, Supressing the Steam Plume, Digital Refining , 2021. 11 API 535 – Burners for Fired Heaters in General Refinery Services, 3rd Ed., May 2014. Luke Glashan is Manager of Applications Engineering for Wood’s Fired Heaters Americas group. He has 11 years’ experience in the thermal and hydraulic design of fired heaters and proposal development. He holds a BS in mechanical engineering from Rutgers University, USA, and is a Professional Engineer in the state of New Jersey, USA. Email : fired.heaters@woodplc.com
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